Days 1–2 · Montréal
Start without the car
Give Montréal a car-free opening, then collect your vehicle as you leave. The food markets and neighbourhoods deserve unhurried time.
Québec · self-drive guide
Québec in full colour
Old streets, farm roads and the broad St Lawrence stitched together by one of eastern Canada’s most rewarding self-drive journeys.
TIME8–12 days
DISTANCEAbout 440 km
GOSeptember–October
Montréal → Québec City → Île d’Orléans → Baie-Saint-Paul → La Malbaie
Route overview
See the whole
journey at once.
Select a named checkpoint to see its photograph and notes. Zoom in for the road detail, or open the main stops in your preferred navigation app.
The line follows the mapped driving route between the checkpoints. Your navigation app may vary, so check conditions, ferry crossings and seasonal closures before driving.
Days 3–4 · Québec City
Stone walls and river light
Walk Old Québec, then use the car for Montmorency Falls and a farm-and-cider circuit around Île d’Orléans.
Days 5–7 · Baie-Saint-Paul
Follow Route 138 east
Stop at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Canyon Sainte-Anne before settling into Baie-Saint-Paul’s galleries, cafés and nearby trails.
Days 8–9 · La Malbaie
The St Lawrence panorama
Take the Route du Fleuve through Les Éboulements, add Isle-aux-Coudres if ferry timings work, and finish above the river in La Malbaie.
Overnight stops
Where to stay
along the way.
- Montréal for two nights
- Québec City for two nights
- Baie-Saint-Paul and La Malbaie for the Charlevoix leg
Before you set off
Road notes
- Collect the car after Montréal
- Allow time for small ferries
- Autumn weekends book quickly
- French place names make offline maps useful
Distances and drive times are road-map estimates, not promises. Always confirm current road conditions, park access, ferry times and seasonal closures before setting off.
Sources checked · 9 August 2026Bonjour Québec — Québec City to Charlevoix Bonjour Québec — the official St Lawrence Route